Discrimination at Elementary School Registration

[boomcrash]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Georgia,US

Our friends are facing discrimination when trying to register their son for kindergarten based on their ethnicity. The husband is a US citizen, born in the US, and the wife is originally from the Japan. All their children are born in the US.

The school board in Dekalb County, Georgia is forcing them to register their children as international students, who get placed in a separate priority list, because they are "exposed to another culture at home" since the mother is not a from the US.

The kids only speak English at home, and have no second language.

What is the best way to oppose this?

 

[TheGeekess]

Hardly discrimination.

Centralized International Student Registration
The DCSS provides a centralized registration process for any student who was born outside of the United States and/or whose first spoken language is other than American English. The centralized registration process takes place at the International Student Screening Center (ISSC) located at 2383 N. Druid Hills Road, Atlanta, GA 30329. If a parent reports to their neighborhood school for registration and it is determined that the student was born outside of the United States or has a first spoken language other than American English then they are referred to the ISSC for the registration process.
The centralized registration process allows for a structured process to clearly identify the students who will qualify to receive language support services under the English Language Learner program in DeKalb. It also helps us identify parents who need translation and interpretation services and the language(s) needed for those services.
In addition to the registration that occurs at the ISSC, an extension of the centralized registration occurs at a few locations that have a large population of students and families that need interpretation and translation services. Those satellite locations for the centralized registration occur at Sequoyah Middle School and Dresden Elementary.
For additional information, please access the link below:
DCSS: International Student Center DeKalb County Schools

New Student Registration Information & Tips for DeKalb County Schools

 

[cyjeff]

Where have the children grown up?

 

[boomcrash]

The children are born in Georgia and have lived here all of their lives, and they only speak English at home, no second language.

 

[TheGeekess]

The children are born in Georgia and have lived here all of their lives, and they only speak English at home, no second language.

So they do an evaluation to see if ESL classes are appropriate. If they are not, then the children don't have to take the class.

That's all that's going on here.

There is no discrimination.

 

[boomcrash]

so even though the son was born in the U.S. AND speaks only English, they were placed in the "international" category based on their skin color/ethnicity. so now they have to prove that they can speak English. this is not considered discrimination?

does this law apply to their situation and can they appeal the decision? How to File an Education Discrimination Complaint with the Government - Learn About the Law

thanks

 

[Humusluvr]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Georgia,US

Our friends are facing discrimination when trying to register their son for kindergarten based on their ethnicity. The husband is a US citizen, born in the US, and the wife is originally from the Japan. All their children are born in the US.

The school board in Dekalb County, Georgia is forcing them to register their children as international students, who get placed in a separate priority list, because they are "exposed to another culture at home" since the mother is not a from the US.

The kids only speak English at home, and have no second language.

What is the best way to oppose this?

I disagree with the other posters here - this is discrimination. These students are NOT International Students - they don't fit ANY of the criterion.

This may be the school's way of trying to CYA, but it's not right. If the students are American citizens, the school has ZERO right to place them on a list otherwise.

Tell your friends (did they get the children in school? Was there a problem with registration?) to go back to the school, birth certificates in hand, and demand that the students be registered the same as all the other kids. If the principal gives them problems, escalate to the superintendent, the school board, and eventually, if this is causing a problem with their classes - call the state.

This is unacceptable.

 

[LdiJ]

I disagree with the other posters here - this is discrimination. These students are NOT International Students - they don't fit ANY of the criterion.

This may be the school's way of trying to CYA, but it's not right. If the students are American citizens, the school has ZERO right to place them on a list otherwise.

Tell your friends (did they get the children in school? Was there a problem with registration?) to go back to the school, birth certificates in hand, and demand that the students be registered the same as all the other kids. If the principal gives them problems, escalate to the superintendent, the school board, and eventually, if this is causing a problem with their classes - call the state.

This is unacceptable.

I agree with this response...and this recommended solution.

 

[Humusluvr]

I agree with this response...and this recommended solution.

When I worked in Texas, I saw this type of thing happen a lot. I worked right on the Mexican border, and students were placed into all kinds of groups - ESL, ELL, LEP, IEP, and International. There were also students from Mexico registered and paying tuition.

But what I know for sure - is that if the children were American born, only speak English, and fit none of the International criterion - then it's possible the school discriminated against them (I'm assuming they have "foreign sounding" names) to receive extra funding. It might be a scam on the part of the school. Now, I certainly don't know that, and I wouldn't accuse the school of that, but it MIGHT be their motivation.

And you DONT want them on that list, because it may alter their school coursework, possibly in a negative way.

It HAS to get fixed, or it WILL cause problems.

 

[TheGeekess]

So, OP (who is just a friend of the family) says that English is the only language spoken in the home.

Does OP live in the home and know for a fact that Mom isn't using Japanese when speaking to anyone?

I don't see it as discrimination; but then, OP's probably just asking out of nosy curiosity.

 

[Humusluvr]

So, OP (who is just a friend of the family) says that English is the only language spoken in the home.

Does OP live in the home and know for a fact that Mom isn't using Japanese when speaking to anyone?

I don't see it as discrimination; but then, OP's probably just asking out of nosy curiosity.

The OP said the kids only speak English. If they are here asking the question, and they say the kids only speak English, I'm going to speculate that they probably know.

It is absolutely discrimination. Putting children in a special program at a school for foreigners, based on their names or mom's heritage, when they meet none of the criterion, is DISCRIMINATORY. Plain and simple.

 

[Humusluvr]

Does OP live in the home and know for a fact that Mom isn't using Japanese when speaking to anyone? :

It doesn't matter if she speaks on the phone in Japanese, speaks to the gardener in Japanese, or speaks to the dog in Japanese. If the kids ONLY SPEAK ENGLISH, it wouldn't matter if the mom spoke gibberish and pig latin - the kids are NOT ESL. Or foreign.

 

[csi7]

I agree that this is discrimination.

 

[TheGeekess]

Because of their multi-lingual abilities, the International Center staff performs many duties for which they are uniquely qualified.

• Process I-20 student Visas, which enables international students to study in the United States for one year
• Evaluate more than 250 student academic international transcripts
• Translate documents in various languages into English
• Interpret for parent conferences, SST meetings and psychological evaluations
• Process student exchange applications
• Register more than 3,000 international students each school year
• Coordinate Parent Outreach and Parent Literacy programs for the local schools

DCSS: International Student Center DeKalb County Schools

 

[Humusluvr]

So, OP (who is just a friend of the family) says that English is the only language spoken in the home.

Does OP live in the home and know for a fact that Mom isn't using Japanese when speaking to anyone?

I don't see it as discrimination; but then, OP's probably just asking out of nosy curiosity.

I'm in a similar circumstance. My kid is half Hispanic. He has a Hispanic name. His dad speaks Spanish and English, but I have only ever spoken to my child in English. The extent of my son's Mexican-ness is watching Dora and counting to ten in Spanish. If a school tried to put my son in a class for International students, I would flip out.